I’m sure there was some cathartic quality to some of the writing but also a lesson being told – ‘this happened to me, just like possibly did to you. Having read Boy first, the inspiration for some of the short stories or indeed on one occasion the possible inspiration for Boy, is apparent. This could be the innocence of a bullying victim, the innocence judged on outward appearance or innocence assumed to be lacking in another. The theme of innocence is threaded throughout. The other stories in the collection are also interesting to read. He is quite open with how joyous some memories are, and how difficult other periods of his life were to endure. Every part of Boy is fascinating, from the history of how his parents met to how he gained the opportunity to go to Africa through his work. What is clear from this collection is that the reader becomes aware they are reading work from a fine story teller, one who has indeed mastered the craft. The testing of chocolate in boarding school sowing the seeds of inspiration for the iconic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the mouse in the gobstobbers perhaps the idea behind The Witches. The stories foretell the inspiration behind those works of genius still to come. As I read, the memories came back, this time with them, the overwhelming sense of creative mastery. I had read Boy years ago and retained a blurred memory of having loved the tales of his childhood, though I wouldn’t have been able to tell you any of those stories. Some of us may have memories of devouring all of the books of his they could find, one after the other. Many of us will have read at least one of his books, seen one of the film adaptations. Without making sweeping generalisations most people have childhood memories that contain Roald Dahl. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice.
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